by anyajulia | May 27, 2009 | Headlines, National News
The Information Technology-Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) Industry in the country continues to grow despite the crisis. This is according to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
As of February 2009, the IT industry has generated 400,000 jobs, while during the whole year of 2008, a total of 372,000 were employed.
Arroyo supported wider access to communications and information services by encouraging provision of broadband services in cities and growth areas. Companies that are accredited as Ecozone Information Technology (IT) enterprises by the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) are entitled to a holiday from income and local taxes for four to eight years. (PIA)
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by anyajulia | May 26, 2009 | Headlines, Local News / Bohol Balita
TIMES may be hard but it could never let a Boholano down, the recent Holy Name University (HNU) survey shows.
With 64% of Boholanos optimistic of a hope for Bohol, the recent survey, now becoming popularly known as the Bohol Polls would also attest to the fact that life has changed for the better in Bohol.
The figure is also an increase from -59 to -52 of last year.
Unemployment rate here dropped down 5 points or 12% from last year with 17%, the number also inclusive of those who are persistently seeking jobs especially at 18-24 age groups where unemployment rate is highest at 25%, says the poll.
Presence of insurgents has not been as prevalent, 89 of Boholanos agree that they have not seen any armed men recently, only about 10% saying they have felt the presence of armed men again.
The Provincial Government earned the highest net performance rating in tourism promotion at +39, protecting the environment at +36 and ensuring adequate food supply by providing support to agriculture promotion at +20 points.
The optimism came despite a dampening 100% increase in poverty income threshold at P10,000 from last year’s P5,000.
In fact, during the survey public presentation at the HNU High School Department Multi-Media Center Monday, economic issue presentor Christian Anuta bared that only 17% of Boholanos say their present quality of life is getting better compared to last year, while 55% say otherwise.
The scenario may be bleak but with 85% Boholanos owning their own houses and another 11% living with relatives and employers, majority of them would be unofficially homeless, the polls would also reveal.
The survey, the institution’s 13th round since Social Weather Station helped put up the HNU research Center claims +/-5 margin of error while using 400 probability respondents representative of Bohol’s 1.2 million population according to 2000 National Census Office. (rachiu/PIA)
by anyajulia | May 26, 2009 | Headlines, Local News / Bohol Balita
IN an attempt to catch world attention and peg its claim as the home of the best buri fiber weavers in the world, Inabanga embarks on an ambitious project, to unroll 1.6 kilometers of continuously hand-woven raffia to highlight their bid.
The mile-long raffia would be woven on traditional handloom and would be publicly displayed on June 29, when the organizers hope they could chart a world record for the town.
With their quest for the world’s longest continuous hand woven raffia title, Mayor Jose Jono Jumamoy also hoped they could pull world attention to the town’s weaving industry that has given their craft-makers a prime fiber for modern household decoration.
By that, Mayor Jumamoy believes they could mainstream the buri fiber weaving industry, which has remained in the town’s economic backrooms for quite sometime into a remarkable prime economic banner.
The youthful mayor also revealed that by pitching for the world record, they could also expose the Inabangnon creativity and craftsmanship.
For more that a century, raffia loom-weaving in Inabanga has stayed as a small industry until the local government, with partners looked seriously at developing the industry into a reliable alternative livelihood, admits Trade Regional Director Asteria Caberte, during the raffia gallery launching.
With the Departments of Trade and Industry. Science and Technology and Technical Education Skills Development Authority, Inabanga has successfully transformed their lowly hinabol into an interesting product which has slowly defined the taste of modern lifestyle.
Raffia has become the common material for placemats, table runners, custom handbags, fancy dresses and a perfect raw for hand-crafted novelty items.
After training their weavers by applying new techniques and modern designs to their loom-wovens, local craftsmen can now boast of firm-level production capacity, Jumamoy shared during the gallery launching of their record endeavor.
The industry has so far engaged 1910 weavers in the town’s 40 of 50 barangays, data from the DTI reveal.
Of this, some 5730 work in the support industry, planting buri, harvesting young fronds, stripping, bleaching, dying, warping, wefting, slitting, knotting, tying and knotting the fiber to be woven.
With records putting an average of 2-3 days before weavers can complete a ten meter raffia roll, Inabanga’s best weavers peg in 4-5 meters a day.
Even 36 years old volunteer weaver Juvelyn Dinolang shared it would not be hard to weave more than the projected target of a mile-long roll by June 28. (rachiu/PIA)
by anyajulia | May 26, 2009 | Headlines, Local News / Bohol Balita
OVER threats of irreversible global warming now manifested in a series of manmade disasters, world foresters in a regional gathering in Bohol insist on a better way to re-generate forests at a low cost.
Despite President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s impressing on pro-environment programs and actively spearheading projects that could mitigate the effects of climate change, people have seen the monumental trouble of re-growing forests and are shunning away from the costs.
During the Regional Workshop for Effective Low-Cost Forest Restoration at the Bohol Plaza, Kazuyuki Tsurumi maintained FAO stand on the method called Assisted Natural Re-generation (ANR).
ANR is a forest restoration and rehabilitation practice for converting grass-dominated areas into productive forests. It is a simple, inexpensive and effectively relies on the natural processes of forest succession and promotes the regeneration of indigenous species adapted to the local environment.
In addition, it provides multiple benefits for local people, who play significant roles in ANR application, bared the project brief provided by the government environment agency.
“The underlying principle of ANR involves man nurturing nature. Man tends the existing rootstocks and young tree seedlings beneath the grasses by protecting them from fire and giving them the same care applied to planted trees, such as ring weeding, mulching and brushing, explains Paulino Manalo, project media consultant.
“It is so logical because if man has caused the destruction, it would just be natural for him to assist in restoring the degraded areas into forests,” Tsurumi said.
Tsurumi, world Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) representative in the Philippines press that ANR is not only practical but also allows endemic root stocks to grow above the carpet of cogon.
Tsurumi, along with the Asia Pacific region’s renowned foresters came to the Philippine workshop to advance the forging of efforts at promoting ANR as well as ensuring active government and community participation.
Tsurumi calls the ANR as a practical forest restoration technique and is but just in time to demonstrate the pivotal role it plays in the recent global attention to climate change.
“There should be no debate on the initiatives of forest restoration and rehabilitation, and with the ANR, it is so simple and easily adoptable for people.
Senior Forestry Officer for the Asia and the Pacific Mr. Patrick Durst also echoed the urgency of the call for environment mitigation by reforestation.
He said communities must act now and fast to regain forests and do away from the traditional and destructive practice of burning grasses which massacre the natural root-stocks of hardy pioneer tree species.
Time is of the essence. At the current rate we are restoring forest cover in areas that need to be protected, it will take us more than eight to ten centuries to restore our protective vegetation cover in vulnerable areas, the Forest management Bureau of the DENR said.
“No country will ever be shielded from carbon emissions, heat waves, rainstorms, tropical cyclones, rising seas, and other infinitely more destructive weather changes. With consuming urgency, communities must therefore act now and fast. ANR, alongside other comprehensive programs to address environmental problems, is a practical and effective way to cope and deal with the looming threat of climate change”, a conference press material bared. (rachiu/PIA)
by anyajulia | May 25, 2009 | Headlines, Local News / Bohol Balita
FARMER groups here unit to make a strong pressure group lobbying for the immediate legislative action on the extension of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) which, if not acted upon expires at the end of this month.
With barely a month left before the Congress adjourns in June, the farmers here think the country’s legislators have conveniently sat on the issue despite the apparent attempts by farmers ranks across the country to dramatize their intent to have the program deliberated as expeditiously.
In late developments, reports bared that Malacanang has gained support from key Congressional leaders on the prioritizaion of the CARP law extension, which President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has certified as urgent.
The support accordingly came from Senate Agrarian Refrm Committee Chair Gringo Honasan and House of Representatives speaker Prospero Nograles, in a meeting with the President, attnded by key church authorities and reform secretary Nasser Pangandaman, according to reports.
Assuring Boholanos however, Provincial Agrarian Reform Officer Johnson Cinco said that Bohol representatives have been candidly lining up behind the farmers in their unconditional support for the extension of the govenments primier social justice program.
At the Kapihan sa PIA Thursday aired live over DyTR, PARO Cinco, who is also a lawyer said farmr cooperatives have passed resolutions to pressure Congress to prioritize the passing of the CARP extension biill.
If the bill is passed, it would lengthen the term of the country’s land reform program by another five years and consequently approriatesi funds for the land acquisition program which the government sees as a move to motivate farmer productivity by allowing them to finally own the lands they till.
With some 12% still to accomplish in Bohol, PARO Cinco agreed that the extension would not only allow farmers more time to claim lands but it would also empower and capacitate them to maximize on their production through the corollary support services that the CARP law provides.
Aside from the lands acquisiton and distribution program incorporated in the CARP, the law also mandates support services delivery as well as agrarian justice delivery which would fund for the due process when the government acquires lots to be distributed.
According to data from the provicial DAR Office, Bohol has close to 3,104 square kilometers of agricultural lands, about 59.314 hectares of it falls under CARP scope while 38,583 sq. has. Fall under land acquisition and distribution.
The past DAR activities here benefitted close to 52,400 beneficiaries in 40 agrarian reform communities, he said.
But with between six to seven thousand hectares of lands yet to be distributed to farmers at an average of 1.3 hectares per agrarian reform beneficiary, the Bohol agrarian reform chief said that should benefit close to six thousand families.
With farmers and Bohol DAR office waiting in bated breath over the legislative deliberations which my not be as immediate, Bohol went for fall back positions with the Agrarian Reform Infrastructure Support Program (ARISP) implemented in four reform communities in Alicia, Balilihan, Catigbian and Danao, Atty. Cinco claimed. (rachiu/PIA)
